geology

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Did Drilling Cause Oklahoma's Quakes?

Some blame fracking, amid sketchy evidence

(Newser) - Scientists aren’t entirely sure what caused the earthquakes that rocked Oklahoma last week , but many in the state are wondering whether it might have something to do with the oil wells and fracking operations that dot the state, the LA Times reports. Oil companies scoff at the notion—“...

Underwater 'Atlantis' Landscape Revealed

Vast submerged terrain shows signs of former terrestrial life

(Newser) - Deep underwater and far below ocean sediment lies what was, millions of years ago, a vast landscape. Complete with furrows and peaks that were once rivers and mountains, the North Atlantic site "looks for all the world like a map of a bit of a country onshore,” said...

Clues Suggest How Grand Canyon Formed

New data explains rising of huge Colorado Plateau

(Newser) - We know the Grand Canyon was formed when the vast Colorado plateau rose from the ground, then eroded. But scientists have long been stumped as to why the 130,000-square-mile region pushed more than a mile upward. Now, a team of researchers may have found the answer, and it lies...

Japan's Geologists Had the 'Big One' All Wrong

They'd predicted a massive quake southwest of Tokyo

(Newser) - For years, Japan’s scientists have been expecting a giant earthquake, pinpointing its location along a fault line southwest of Tokyo—but today’s disaster defied their forecasts. The country’s biggest earthquake occurred 231 miles northeast of the capital along a different fault, the Washington Post reports. Scientists had...

Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two
 Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two 
Jan 21, 2011 9:55 AM CST

Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two

Quakes widen fissure at rarely-seen speed: scientists

(Newser) - Africa is gradually breaking apart—and in the past several months, the process has accelerated. Now, amid earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, it’s happening exceptionally quickly, reports Der Spiegel . Water is threatening to flood a fracture between Ethiopia and Mozambique, scientists say; while it will be millions of years before...

Utility Crew Stumbles on 1.4M-Year-Old Fossils

Sabre-tooth tiger, more unearthed

(Newser) - It didn’t take an archaeological expedition to unearth California’s oldest saber-toothed cat skeleton—it took a crew of construction workers, who were trying to break ground on a new substation for Riverside County. And that’s not all they found. The workers had stumbled upon a “treasure...

Earth Not So Old

 Earth Not 
 So Old 

in case you missed it
Jul 17, 2010 7:00 PM CDT

Earth Not So Old

Planet was 100 million years in the making

(Newser) - Earth may have taken much longer to form after the birth of the solar system than was previously believed—making it a mere 4.467 billion years old, compared to its previously estimated age of 4.567 billion years. Geologists made the new calculations by comparing chemicals from the earth's...

What Do You Do With a Gargantuan Sinkhole?

Geologists split on causes of Guatemala pit

(Newser) - For a small sinkhole in your yard, experts recommend dropping solid material to the bottom and filling it with soil. For a giant sinkhole in your city, experts are flummoxed. Geologists aren't sure why a mammoth sinkhole that ate a three-story building opened up in downtown Guatemala City, and they...

Chilean City Moved 10 Feet West in Quake

Geologists think quake will be most important ever studied

(Newser) - The earthquake that struck Chile on Feb. 27 was so massive that it moved the entire city of Concepcion 10 feet to the west, according to one new study. Concepcion isn’t far from the quake’s epicenter in Maule, but other, more distant towns moved as well. Santiago moved...

Geologists Warned of Haiti Earthquake

Calculations predicted temblor of up to 7.2 magnitude—but not timing

(Newser) - Scientists have known for years that the fault Haiti sits on was due for a large-magnitude quake—they just didn’t know when. A 2008 paper predicted a quake registering up to 7.2, but “it could have been the next day, it could have been 10 years, it...

Quake Knocks New Zealand a Foot Closer to Australia

(Newser) - There’s nothing like a 7.8 magnitude earthquake to bring two countries together—literally. The temblor that hit New Zealand last week has shoved its southern island about 12 inches closer to Australia, TVNZ reports. That might not sound like much, but considering that New Zealand typically moves about...

Rocks Could Help US Bury Global Warming

Scientists find 6K square miles that could absorb carbon

(Newser) - Could the high-tech solution to global warming be… rock formations? Geologists have identified roughly 6,000 square miles of large formations in the US that could be used to store excess carbon dioxide, LiveScience reports. Ultramafic rocks, which originate deep beneath the earth, convert carbon dioxide into hard minerals. Typically...

Alaska Volcano Continues to Rumble, Fume

Scientists keep wary eye on Mt. Redoubt, near Anchorage

(Newser) - Researchers are keeping a close eye on Alaska’s Mt. Redoubt, a volcano that could erupt any time, KTUU-TV reports. The peak—located about 110 miles southwest of Anchorage—has seen increased earthquakes and tremors in recent days, CNN adds. Mt. Redoubt last erupted in 1989-90.

Explorers to Probe Antarctic's Buried Mountains

Scientists stumped by mysterious range as large as the Alps

(Newser) - A unique expedition will explore a mysterious mountain range buried deep within the Antarctic, reports the BBC. Scientists, engineers, and pilots from the US, UK, Germany, Australia, China, and Japan will use ice-penetrating radar and other high tech equipment in a bid to determine how the Gamburtsev mountains—equal in...

Moon Rocks Still Giving Up Gritty Secrets

Lunar rocks have helped unlock secrets of solar system, demise of dinosaurs

(Newser) - Almost 40 years after Apollo astronauts brought samples of the moon back to Earth, the extraterrestrial rocks are still yielding new information, the New York Times reports. In addition to attention from the Johnson Space Center, where they reside, samples are mailed out—on loan only, and usually less than...

Mars Photos Suggest Ancient Hot Springs

Possible sign that life once existed on planet

(Newser) - Scientists have found what look like the remains of hot springs on Mars—a sign life could have existed there, reports the Washington Post. Sophisticated equipment returned images of “mounds” that appear remarkably similar to springs found in Australia, according to scientists. They appear to have dried up tens...

Mild 5.2 Earthquake Shakes Up Chicago

No major damage reported in 20-second tremor

(Newser) - A moderate earthquake in southern Illinois was enough to wake far-off Chicago-area residents this morning, but no major damage was reported, the Chicago Tribune notes. The shake-up reached 5.2 on the Richter scale, shy of an area record of 5.4, but enough to move furniture. “For people...

Top 10 Planet Earth Puzzlers
 Top 10 Planet Earth Puzzlers 
Mar 16, 2008 3:12 PM CDT

Top 10 Planet Earth Puzzlers

Even basic questions still have scientists scratching their heads

(Newser) - Forget deep-space exploration; even basic questions about Earth still have scientists scratching their heads, LiveScience reports. A panel of geologists and planetary scientists lists its top lingering mysteries.
  1. How did Earth form into such a distinct body?
  2. What happened during Earth's first 500 million years?
  3. How did life start on
...

New Worry: Global Soil Change
New Worry: Global Soil Change
Feb 8, 2008 6:20 PM CST

New Worry: Global Soil Change

Scientists propose calling current geological era 'Anthropocene'—human-made

(Newser) - Earth's changing soils appear less able to support farming and plant and animal diversity because of human activity, a study shows. "Global soil change," which is occurring most severely in Africa and Asia, has a heavier hand in climate change than previously thought, National Geographic reports. Degraded soils...

Earth's Mystery Core Plumbed
Earth's Mystery Core Plumbed
Jan 27, 2008 9:32 AM CST

Earth's Mystery Core Plumbed

Japanese geophysicist floats theory of lifecycle for Earth's plates

(Newser) - Climate change has sparked heated debate about the Earth’s surface, but a controversial new theory is directing scientists to its core, Der Spiegel reports. To explain why contintental plates drift on the surface of the Earth's molten mantle, Maruyama Shigenori, a leading geophysicist, argues that continents actually have life...

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